Lehighton Area School District would give its superintendent a $114,942.01 severance payment under a proposed separation agreement up for vote tonight.

In a board meeting agenda posted Friday, Lehighton included an item separation and release agreement with Dr. Christina Fish effective May 31.

“After much consideration and discussion, the Lehighton Area School District Board of Directors and Dr. Christina Fish have mutually agreed to amicably end their contractual agreement,” the agenda item states. “Dr. Fish expresses her sincere gratitude to the Lehighton students and families who made her feel welcome. She also thanks the teachers, support staff and the administrative team who have made her tenure successful. The Lehighton School Board thanks Dr. Fish for her service and wishes her continued success in her future endeavors.”

That public statement was required of the district in the separation agreement, which is posted on Lehighton’s website.

Fish was hired in June 2022 to a contract running through Aug. 31, 2025.

The severance payment, the agreement states, is one-half of the total compensation and benefits owed to Fish for the remainder of her contract.

Fish would also be paid 24 days of unused vacation time totaling $12,549.36.

Lehighton would continue to pay for medical benefits for Fish, along with her spouse and any eligible dependents, until Aug. 31, 2025, unless she takes a job where the benefits have “at least an 80% actuarial value.”

The agreement also calls for Fish to drop “any right or claim for age discrimination which she may have arising under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.”

“Employee acknowledges that she is receiving consideration which is in addition to anything of value to which she otherwise would have been entitled,” the agreement states.

Fish, who had spent the prior 12 years as Central Columbia’s director of pupil services/special education, made $132,500 in her first year with Lehighton. She also received a $7,500 signing bonus. She was set to receive a 3% increase in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

The board tonight will also be acting on the hiring of John W. Corby as acting superintendent at a contracted rate of $680 per full day as of June 1.

If hired, Corby will be doing his second stint as Lehighton’s acting superintendent. The board of directors brought him after terminating the contract of Jonathan Cleaver, who had been superintendent for nine years, in December 2020. Directors at the time alleged previous boards approved illegal contract extensions. Two days later, Cleaver filed a lawsuit against the district alleging breach of contract. Lehighton settled with Cleaver last year and paid him $30,000.

Fish’s departure will leave Lehighton without several full-time administrators. Assistant to the Superintendent Mary Figura is retiring effective June 4. Former Business Manager Edward Rarick resigned in January. Rarick had been with the district since November 2020 and his contract was set to expire on June 30.

Board President Jeremy Glaush said Rarick admitted to engaging in inappropriate conduct, but Rarick said his decision to resign was sparked by board inaction.

In a letter to Public School Employees’ Retirement System officials, district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik called the administrative vacancies “an untenable and emergent situation” when describing the need to bring Corby back.

“The District is in the process of attempting to fill the Business Administrator vacancy and plans to engage the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit to perform a search for a superintendent,” Sultanik wrote. “Mr. Corby, who is familiar with the Lehighton Area School District based upon his acting superintendent experience, has agreed to provide assistance to the Lehighton Area School District in this period of enormous need and he has the capability of handling the emergent issues.”

The special board meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 tonight.